Genesis 22:18

22:18 Because you have obeyed me, ¹  all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ²  using the name of your descendants.’”

Luke 2:28-30

2:28 Simeon ³  took him in his arms and blessed God, saying, ⁴ 

2:29 “Now, according to your word, ⁵  Sovereign Lord, ⁶  permit ⁷  your servant ⁸  to depart ⁹  in peace.

2:30 For my eyes have seen your salvation ¹⁰ 

Luke 10:24

10:24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings longed to see ¹¹  what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Galatians 3:7-9

3:7 so then, understand ¹²  that those who believe are the sons of Abraham. ¹³  3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the gospel to Abraham ahead of time, ¹⁴  saying, “All the nations ¹⁵  will be blessed in you.” ¹⁶  3:9 So then those who believe ¹⁷  are blessed along with Abraham the believer.

Hebrews 11:13

11:13 These all died in faith without receiving the things promised, ¹⁸  but they saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners ¹⁹  on the earth.

Hebrews 11:39

11:39 And these all were commended ²⁰  for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised. ²¹ 

Hebrews 11:1

People Commended for Their Faith

11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see.

Hebrews 1:10-12

1:10 And,

“You founded the earth in the beginning, Lord, ²² 

and the heavens are the works of your hands.

1:11 They will perish, but you continue.

And they will all grow old like a garment,

1:12 and like a robe you will fold them up

and like a garment ²³  they will be changed,

but you are the same and your years will never run out.” ²⁴ 

¹ tn In the Hebrew text this causal clause comes at the end of the sentence. The translation alters the word order for stylistic reasons.

² tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 26:4). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)

³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Simeon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴ tn Grk “and said.” The finite verb in Greek has been replaced with a participle in English to improve the smoothness of the translation.

⁵ sn The phrase according to your word again emphasizes that God will perform his promise.

⁶ tn The Greek word translated here by “Sovereign Lord” is δεσπότης (despoth").

⁷ sn This short prophetic declaration is sometimes called the Nunc dimittis, which comes from the opening phrase of the saying in Latin, “now dismiss,” a fairly literal translation of the Greek verb ἀπολύεις (apolueis, “now release”) in this verse.

⁸ tn Here the Greek word δοῦλος (doulos, “slave”) has been translated “servant” since it acts almost as an honorific term for one specially chosen and appointed to carry out the Lord’s tasks.

⁹ tn Grk “now release your servant.”

¹⁰ sn To see Jesus, the Messiah, is to see God’s salvation.

¹¹ sn This is what past prophets and kings had wanted very much to see, yet the fulfillment had come to the disciples. This remark is like 1 Pet 1:10-12 or Heb 1:1-2.

¹² tn Grk “know.”

¹³ tn The phrase “sons of Abraham” is used here in a figurative sense to describe people who are connected to a personality, Abraham, by close nonmaterial ties. It is this personality that has defined the relationship and its characteristics (BDAG 1024-25 s.v. υἱός 2.c.α).

¹⁴ tn For the Greek verb προευαγγελίζομαι (proeuangelizomai) translated as “proclaim the gospel ahead of time,” compare L&N 33.216.

¹⁵ tn The same plural Greek word, τὰ ἔθνη (ta eqnh), can be translated as “nations” or “Gentiles.”

¹⁶ sn A quotation from Gen 12:3; 18:18.

¹⁷ tn Grk “those who are by faith,” with the Greek expression “by faith” (ἐκ πίστεως, ek pistew") the same as the expression in v. 8.

¹⁸ tn Grk “the promises,” referring to the things God promised, not to the pledges themselves.

¹⁹ tn Or “sojourners.”

²⁰ sn The expression these all were commended forms an inclusio with Heb 11:2: The chapter begins and ends with references to commendation for faith.

²¹ tn Grk “the promise,” referring to the thing God promised, not to the pledge itself.

²² sn You founded the earth…your years will never run out. In its original setting Ps 102:25-27 refers to the work of God in creation, but here in Hebrews 1:10-12 the writer employs it in reference to Christ, the Lord, making a strong argument for the essential deity of the Son.

²³ tc The words “like a garment” (ὡς ἱμάτιον, Jw" Jimation) are found in excellent and early mss (Ì⁴⁶ א A B D* 1739) though absent in a majority of witnesses (D¹ Ψ 0243 0278 33 1881 Ï lat sy bo). Although it is possible that longer reading was produced by overzealous scribes who wanted to underscore the frailty of creation, it is much more likely that the shorter reading was produced by scribes who wanted to conform the wording to that of Ps 102:26 (101:27 LXX), which here lacks the second “like a garment.” Both external and internal considerations decidedly favor the longer reading, and point to the author of Hebrews as the one underscoring the difference between the Son and creation.

²⁴ sn A quotation from Ps 102:25-27.